Dodgers Beaten Start to Finish

MILWAUKEE â€”  A controversial call and wasted opportunities Wednesday night were too much for the Dodgers to overcome.

Richie Sexson drove in the winning run with a ninth-inning single and the Milwaukee Brewers ended a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over the Dodgers at County Stadium.

Geoff Jenkins led off the ninth with a bloop single to left field, advanced to second on shortstop Alex Cora’s errant throw to second and scored easily when Sexson drove the second pitch from Terry Adams (6-7) to center.Reliever Ray King (1-1) worked a perfect ninth for the win.

Sexson’s timely hit capped a rare victory for the Brewers (57-75) and ended a frustrating night for the Dodgers before a crowd of 15,940.

A potential big first inning ended with the Dodgers scoring only one run after second base umpire Jeff Kellogg ruled that the ball hit Shawn Green between second and third for the final out. Television replays were inconclusive.

Kellogg acknowledged that he did not see the ball hit Green. He told the Dodgers, “I heard something.�

That wasn’t comforting for the Dodgers, who also had other issues.

They squandered another dominant performance by starter Darren Dreifort, who worked eight impressive innings and established a career high with 11 strikeouts in a no-decision.

And the Dodgers (70-63) stranded baserunners in key situations.

Green’s tapper in front of the plate left the bases loaded in the fifth, and cleanup batter Eric Karros grounded into an inning-ending double play with runners at first and second in the seventh.

It was not a good night for the Dodgers, who dropped six games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West.

They said Kellogg’s call set an ominous tone.

“Just brutal,� Karros said in reference to the call. “That’s a call you have to see to make. You have to because it changed the face of the game.

“I just don’t know where that call came from. I just don’t get it.�

Brewer starter Jamey Wright also pitched eight innings, but walked the game’s first three batters.

With the bases loaded, Karros swung at the first pitch and had a run-scoring sacrifice fly.

The runners advanced to second and third on Todd Hundley’s groundout, and Adrian Beltre then had a run-scoring single.

Or so the Dodgers thought.

Kellogg stopped play when the ball passed Green and went into center. Green had no idea what had occurred.

“I was shocked,� Green said. “At first I thought [Kellogg] said I stood there and interfered with [Brewer shortstop Mark Loretta’s] ability to catch the ball.

“It definitely changed the game. We would have had an extra run there, with runners on second and third and [Jim] Leyritz up. It missed me, there’s not much more I can say about it.�

Manager Davey Johnson quickly joined Green and third base coach Glenn Hoffman in arguing the call.

The Dodgers were especially upset that Kellogg initially declined to seek help from the crew before reluctantly consulting with home plate umpire Eric Cooper, who upheld the call.

“The thing I don’t like about it is that if you’re going to make that call, you have to see it, you can’t say ‘I heard something,’ � Johnson said.

“There can be no doubt at all on that type of a call because it has to change direction. You have to see it.�

Dreifort wondered what could have been.

“We had their guy [Wright] on the ropes. Who knows how many we would have wound up getting out of that inning,� said Dreifort, who gave up two home runs among four hits.

“We end up losing by one run in the bottom of the ninth. You definitely look back on it.�

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NL WEST RACE

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Team W L GB S.F. 75 56 -- Arizona 73 59 2 1/2 Dodgers 70 63 6

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